Lastest news for people with Learning Disabililties.

Pain turns into pleasure. 

Although May 2011 - December 2011 was a bad period of time for me when I lost my work with Mencap plus my business Access All Areas Now back in the January. Back February 2013 this year I have started to training as an Advocacy for 1 Voice in Wolverhampton, which I have some brief experience from having been an Group Advocacy work for Our Shout supported by Royal Wolverhampton Mencap back in 2007 to 2011. I used to speak for the rights of learning disability and Mental health in an Advocacy group. I have been working in the Advocacy field now for six years.

During January to March 2009, we spoke to lots of people about the three new ideas that would affected people with disabilities. I sat in meetings myself, as you may guess that difference people with disabilities wanted difference things. Some people were happy to start a new life and others were very upset because they were they are. There's no knowing yet if any people at all have moved out. Some may be a but lucky and just have little changes to their service but that could mean to some that they could want to move out. These people have been living at Sweet street Residential Bungalows.

Valuing People had planned a event in June to lot at the top areas of people with disabilities lives for the next three years.

A representative from each partnership board of the West Midlands were invited to share good practise and things that did not work.

The information from these events will be used to help local partnership boards so that people with disabilities are happy with our partnership boards.

The areas that the partnership board should be talking about in the partnership board meetings is work for people with disabilities, housing, health care and Personalisation. Meetings people have not been able to turn up to, they should be contracted to be fed back to. This should happen with all Partnership boards everywhere.

Every Adult Matters and Person Centred Planning.

Wolverhampton City Council wrote a big document in 2006 called ' Every Adult Matters' which is about providing care for people who need it in the city. The Council are now going to up date this report, Every Adult Matters will be looking at how they can provide a personalised services in the way the Government ask us to in a report called Putting People First.

Putting people First tells people that they have more choice and control, they have to pay for things themselves instead of services.

On the first of September 2009, we have had a new project out called Wolverhampton Person Centred Planning service in Wolverhampton. The Person Centred Planning service will listen to people with disabilities what they want and need but support people with disabilities to have more choice and control over their lives. If you would like to find out more about Person Centred planning please get in torch with Catherine Farrell 07810 631293 for informal chat, there is also support for families too.

CUT BACKS ON LEARNING DISABILITY SERVICES.

Money seems to be tight for the council with the credit crunch. These cut backs affect all services. It's bad enough for people without disabilities to be homeless but people with disabilities can't look after themselves the same.
council needs to think very carefully how and what they are spending money on. Ok, people with disabilities are not the only people who need support but all the same we need support. A lot of people agree that it was wrong of the council spending by a guess £1000.000 on a water fountain in the City Of Wolverhampton. Many people agree that Wolverhampton is too small to be a City and I am one of them.
Back June Mencap had Learning Disability Week, the project was called Changing Places, the idea of that was to try and make disabled toilets better. Why didn't the council spend that money on disabled toilets in the town. A lot of people other parts of UK had complained that a lot of toilets didn't have any changing areas. Families and carers had to change people with disabilities on the hard wet floors. Even in a lot of places there is still a lot of hard work to be done.


THINGS CHANGING.

Back in 2010 Access All Areas Now! were promised office space in the Albert road office which didn't happen due to funding.
The building had changed to a Day Centre to an Employment Service for work staff who have disabilities and health  problems. The Mal tings Day centre to create a joint Employment service which would be in Albert road where our office for ' ACCESS FOR ALL AREAS NOW'! is planning to be based. The Malting's will be moving adults with with Long Term Impairment to Albert road. This would mean that the Malting's were closed.

2009 - 2010.

We went to see if the people who lived at Sweet street to see if they got supported living because theory have be getting residential care. These people could get 24 hour support and accommodation, instead of residential care if they want and need it. The will be getting very little change of care but in their own homes.

We then found out that there were changes to Outreach teams so that they became one team instead of four and then to find a different company to run the service.

Things people have said were put into the report and in April Councillors said ideas could go ahead.

Due to my work with Mencap having ended through the cuts in May 2011, I hadn't heard anymore about the changes in other places.

EMPLOYMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.   

The funding for the Our Shout Advocacy group support by Royal Wolverhampton Mencap ran out in May 2011. Access All Area Now! finished January 2011 due to a lack of funding
Mates to dates had lost funding back sometime 2009.
I had started working in the 1 Voice in March 2012 but started to train as an Advocacy worker in February 2013.


People with disabilities were finding the  partnership boards in the UK very hard to understand. Some people without disabilities spoke and write so much jargon. Information needs to be more Accessible meaning words easy to read and clear pictures, which I worked on.

For a short lenght of time I was a group supporter. I supported Our Shout to chair meetings of topics of their choice and support them to chair and take minutes of  their meetings. I used to try my best to make the minutes as easy for the group to read and understand as much as possible. For eg; easy words and pictures. We use to have a meeting once a mouth and a profession guest of the group's choice coming along for eg; a gp or someone from an Employment service.

I enjoy Advocacy because it because it's a way of speaking for people who find it hard to speak for themselves so hopefully their lives will be equal to other people. A lot of people with disabilities and health problems find it hard to get their voices heard, I can relate to that because I have the same problem. What other people don't understand is that each and everyone of us can be misunderstood in different ways. Like you we find different things hard and easy to one another. Most of the time it's easier to help others than it is yourself. Advocacy also means empowerment to empower people to say and do things for themselves. For eg; instead of choosing what they are to do or and say asking them what they are going to do or and to say.

Now I have moved my career up a ladder to train to be an one to one Advocacy worker.

What is Advocacy?

Advocacy is like I just said support and empowerment, which can depend on each person's situation. It is their choice how and when they want the Advocacy worker's help. An Advocacy worker works a different role to a carer, supporter worker and carer. For eg; an Advocacy worker can't support a person to clean and tidy their house or go shopping. It's the person's rights that matters. The person's interests should be taken at heart by giving people their choices and options.

1 Voice's Definition of Advocacy.

Advocacy is a tool to support people so that they can accept responsibility of their own situation. To know when to support and when to empower people so they can do things for themselves.

My definition of Advocacy.

Self Advocacy is one to make ones choices. Peer Advocacy is to empower people to make their own choices.Group Advocacy is to speak up for the Rights of others, for example the state of the benefit system.

The aims of Advocacy.

• Empower clients to build up their skills.
• To support clients to become empowered.
• To explain information that the client don't understand in a easy way that the client will understand.
• To speak up for the clients only when they feel they want an Advocate to speak up for them.
• To empower clients so that they can think for themselves.
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Equal Opportunities is to give people the same rights as others. The advocacy scheme will have an equal opportunities policy that recognises the needs to pr-active in talking all forms of inequality, discrimination and social exclusion.

Independence.

To encourage the clients to do things for themselves. The advocacy scheme will encourage independent from statutory organisations and preferably from all service providers' agencies. The advocacy scheme will be free from conflict of interest as possible both in design and operation, actively seek to reduce conflicting interests.

Putting people first.

Putting the client first. The advocacy scheme will make sure that the wishes of the client is taken into account. The advocates will be trained to go along with what the client wants. Advocates should be non-judgemental and respectful of peoples' needs, views and experiences.

Supporting Advocates.

Advocates will get training and support in the work they do. They will develop skills and experience in their working role.

The code of conduct.

A code of conduct is a book of rules for staff and volunteers to follow to be Advocates to support clients. It can help the staff and volunteers to know how to do our job to how we should the best as possible for our clients.

It makes sure that we know what we can and can’t do in our job.

Advocates should take instructions from Service Users whenever possible. Advocates should base actions on respect, to agree with the client's plans, ideas and opinions.

 Instructed Advocacy.

Making sure information is up to date, easy for the clients to read and understand. To help the Service Users to make informed choices but an Advocate shouldn’t give the client advice. Listening to the Service Users and discussing options but Advocates can't make clients do what they don't want to do. Advocates can’t raise their own opinions and they should respect the client’s opinion.  

The key principles of Advocacy.

Accessibility means that information and materials are easy for the clients to read and understand. It’s the advocate’s job to make the information easy for the client as possible. Advocacy is free of ch range to eligible people. The Advocacy scheme will aim to make sure that premises, policies, procedures and publicity materials promote access for the whole community.

Accountability means the Advocacy scheme will have in place system for effective monitoring and evaluation of its work. All those who use the scheme will have a named advocate and a means of contacting. 

When it comes to complaints the advocacy scheme has a policy for clients to be able to complain about advocates if they aren’t happy. This gives the advocate feedback so they can support clients better in the future. Where necessary, the scheme will enable people who use the service to access external independent support to make or pursuer a complaint.

 When it comes to confidentiality the advocacy scheme has a policy on confidentiality, stating that information known about a person using scheme and any circumstances under which confidentiality might be breached. 

Recognise the staged process of Advocacy.

The six stages of advocacy.

Presenting the problems.  The client tells the advocate the problem. The client needs support from the advocate.

Research

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Analyse and feedback.

The advocate should tell the client the options.

The advocate should make the client aware of consequences of whatever options the clients may choose whether those options make the client’s whatever the consequences.

The advocate should never force the client to make a suggestion or decision the client doesn’t want to make.

Negotiation

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Litigation

This should be the last resort for the client.

Litigation is very expensive for the client as the client may need a solicitor but cannot afford it.

Legal processes are quite stressful especially in a court as you have to go with what the judge decides. Sometimes it is better for the client to go through litigation because they are in the right.

 Listening skills.

I watched a video on you tube about understanding Advocacy; I didn’t feel I missed a thing. Many people with learning disabilities have said they find it hard to be their own advocate. These people have been disbelieved there for it can be very hard for other people to see the good in people with disabilities and health problems.

Aspects of active listening body language.

It’s very important an advocate should take interest in what the client is. The advocate should give the client a nod to show that the advocacy is listening to the client. The way the advocate looks at the client is very important, which shows the client advocate is honest for the good in them.

Body movement and posture is also important to the client understand the advocate as well as the advocate understanding the client.

Gesture is more hand movements, speaking and expressing.

Open and close questions are also important for example.

“What do you think of the Royal family? Open question

“Do you like the Royal family?” Close question

 Mirroring is coping exactly what the client does, echoing their body language and other verbal communication, including sounds, voice, tone and so on.

Mirroring has a sidedness; if the client does something with their right hand the Advocate can do something with their right hand.

Mirroring can be done exactly at the same time as the client shows any sign of body language and non verbal communication for example if they cross their legs, the advocate should do the same.

It’s very important to know different forms of communication because everyone’s needs are different. There are 43% of adults with moderate severe learning difficulties, Cerebral Palsy, Autism and other learning disabilities. Multi – useful where auditory messages are none processed 

quickly. Encouraged eye contact & concentration. 

• ·        British sign language
• ·        Brail for the blind
• ·        Singalong for people with Autism
• ·        Makaton
• ·        Talking mats
• ·        Widget
• ·        Symbol world
• ·        Clear For All

  

 Recognise important of research.

We worked on a study case in class. The daughter is worried about how her Mum is treated in the Care home.  Staffs haven’t been taking care of her personal care. The daughter said her Mother has had a stroke. The daughter is not at all happy.

Collect information to support the Advocacy process.

The daughter needs to be writing down the dates and times the staff haven’t been doing their job. She may be able to take photographic evidence of any injuries.

For a give situation, identify the way forward for the client.

 The options the advocate could offer the daughter is Age UK, she could search the website, phone them, go up there or even both. The advocate could support her through this if needs be.

The daughter could report what’s going on to the manager.

Write a letter of complaint with advocate’s help if necessary.

If things get worse contact CQC – Care Quality Commission.

Provide Appropriate Feedback for the client.

We need to make sure it is the right information before we tell the client and we must be honest as advocates telling the clients both positive and negative ones. We can tell the client the consequences, make sure they 

understand the consequences and it’s for the client to choose what option they want.

We need to make sure the patient understands all the information, the information needs to be accessible.

·        Easy Read
·        Clear written/audio information
·        No Jargon!

What is the difference between negotiation and advocacy?

In class, we did an exercise where we had to answer whatever it was advocacy or negotiation for a given situation. I feel this was difficult as I didn’t have all the information about the cases but I was able to understand why situations required different outcomes.

Identify when negation is more approached by negotiation rather than straightforward advocacy? Consider also if a mixture of the two to be used.

• ·        It’s a mixture of the two when an electricity company has written to a client to say that he/she owes £250.00, they are on a very low income. The company wants the money in full in seven days. It’s the advocate’s job to find out if the client owes that amount of money. If the client owes that money the advocate should negate instalments
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• ·        A decision by the DSS to refuse a grant from the Social Fund because there is insufficient money in the local budget. This again could be a mixture of both.  The advocate needs to find out if the client is entitled to the money, if any money in the budget. Negotiate a lower amount. (More money is to come from the budget.)
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• ·        A decision is made by the local hospital to put someone on the waiting list to see a consultant. The waiting list is 12 months. (Advocacy) This again is a mixture of both. This will depend on how ill the client is.
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• ·        A refusal by the council housing department to grant a tenant with rent arrears a housing transfer in order to be nearer relatives who provide care and support. This is a mixture of both again. Find out if the client owes money; try to negotiate with the council housing if they can transfer them with a training plan to pay back their arrears. At some point advocacy can only go so far.

 Identify a Strategry for Negotiation in a given situation. 

In class, we worked on a study about John who lost his wife Anna in hospital from Cardic Arrest. Anna was admitted with heart failure but John had left the hospital because there were indications that she would get better.

He watched the doctors do nothing while his wife was dying, he was only told later that she had a Do Not Resuscitate order on her medical record.

John wasn't aware that Anna signed a DNR resister because of confidentiality, the hospital couldn't tell him about the order as it should have been Anna. John can't accept how and why Anna died. As his advocate I would need to expalin that he cannot involve the police as the hospital, specifically the doctors, have not done anything illegeal. It is up to negotiation between the client and doctor to reach a conclusion which is good for John. He may want someone to say sorry to John for not explaining what's was going on in the first place. 

  

                        Updated 18th May 2013